Discover Eigg: The Scottish island famous across the world as an environmental template

00:01, 4 Jun 2016

ByJonathan Jobson

AHEAD of the anniversary of the island's buyout on June 12, we take a look at the history, the growing community and landmarks on the Isle of Eigg.

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Eigg Pier

In the early hours of June 12, Eigg locals will take a moment to pause during the music and dancing to reflect upon their 19 years as owners of their island. Celebrated every June 12 with a huge ceilidh, the anniversary of the buyout is the key date in the Eigg calendar.

Following on the heels of the buyout of the North Lochinver Estate in Assynt, the island became a beacon for land reform and, more importantly, transformed what was a depopulated, struggling island into a thriving, growing community which has become famous across the world as an environmental template.

Eigg Aerial

The buyout was the result of a partnership between the Isle of Eigg Trust, Highland Council and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The previous landowner, a mysterious German artist who referred to himself as Maruma, had grandiose plans for his recent purchase. A retreat for artists, a centre for operatic excellence - the list was as long as it was ridiculous. Meanwhile, the many Eigg residents who lived in properties owned by the estate had no security of tenure over their dilapidated homes. The buyout changed everything.

Eigg beach

Eigg’s history had been one of absentee landowners of varying degrees of competence managing the land for their benefit while their tenants worked the land, or fished the surrounding seas in an attempt to make a living. Unsurprisingly, there was a well-trodden path leaving the island and heading for the Central Belt and beyond and the island lost many young people in this way. Now, that path still exists, but it has largely been travelled in the reverse direction in recent years as the young people of Eigg have returned to their island after college or university, and have set down roots in the place of their birth. The island’s population has grown from 63 at the time of the buyout to more than 90 today.

Eigg Pier

After previous absentee landlord Keith Schellenberg was forced to sell the island due to an expensive divorce settlement the islanders of Eigg formed the Isle of Eigg Trust to look into the possibility of purchasing the island for the community. So when the time came that Maruma was looking to sell the Trust launched a public campaign in a bid to secure the funds needed. Donations, big and small, flowed in. The postman’s mailbags tripled as pledges and cheques spilled out on to the kitchen table in the home of Maggie Fyffe, secretary of the Trust. One donor, whose identity remains a mystery, pledged a million pounds. The island eventually was sold to the Trust on June 12, 1997 for £1.5 million. A new chapter in Eigg’s history was about to begin.

“The public support was overwhelming and we like to think that we’ve proven ourselves to be worthy of that support,” said Fyffe.

Eigg harbour

At the time of the buyout no households had mains electricity. Too far from the national grid, if power was needed on Eigg then it was provided by a diesel generator, usually situated in a shed several yards from the house where its clattering would not be too intrusive. To walk around a township in Eigg was to be accompanied by the noise of several diesel engines.

Today, that has all changed.

Eigg now has a state of the art renewables grid, powered by wind, sun and water and all homes have access to clean electricity. Houses are limited to 5kw at a time, more than enough for most homes, and as a result energy efficiency is built into the system.

Eigg view to Rum

The old estate houses are now Trust properties, let out to islanders at affordable rates and with long leases allowing tenants to have security. Jobs have been created in tourism, building and crafts. The island’s three farms are now all fully operational and provide work and incomes for three families. The fluctuating primary school roll is increasing as young islanders return and start families. The locally-owned broadband provider, Hebnet, allows many islanders to work from home in the media and music industries. The independent record label Lost Map is run and managed from Eigg. None of this would have been possible without the vision of the Trust and its partners who saw potential in the island and tapped into it so perfectly that Eigg is now world famous in environmental and land reform circles and hosts visitors from across the world who are looking to copy the blueprint to achieve the same results for their communities. And all because of the bravery and vision of a group of islanders who believe that the best people to manage the land are the people who live on it. More power to them.